Role of landform and topography in the development of drainage networks

Landform and topography plays an important role in defining the hydrologic conditions of a watershed. The morphometric analysis of a watershed helps in understanding the hydrologic behaviour. Towards this, a study was carried out for two adjacent watersheds located in the part of Shahdol district, Madhya Pradesh. Both the watersheds (named Gorna and Baghari) are constituted by sandstone but differ in landform, relief and soil types. Drainage maps have been prepared with the help of Survey of India (SOI) toposheet on 1:50,000 scale along with the satellite data. The quantitative morphometric analysis for linear and areal parameter has been carried out from drainage networks for both the watersheds. Based on the quantitative morphometric analysis, a comparative evaluation has been carried out to understand the relationship between drainage development, landform and relief. The study suggested that the ground water conditions would be better in the plain and lower relief watershed compared to hilly and higher relief watershed.